The federal government yesterday disclosed that it had reduced import duty on cars from 35 percent to 20 percent.

This was disclosed by the spokesman of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Timi Bomodi in a response to an inquiry by TheCable.

Bomodi said:

The new common external tariff (CET) 2022 to 2026 puts the duty for cars at 20 percent. However, we await further directives from the federal ministry of finance with regards to levies,

he said.

He explained that the CET is the harmonised system for the world customs organisation (WCO) for the processing of imports adopted by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for common duty rates.

These rates are reviewed every five years. The old ECOWAS CET expired in 2021,

he added.

Bomodi said that the new rate applies to both new and used cars imported into the country.

Asked if the new rate has been implemented, he said:

They are already using the 20 percent duty rate. Finance can still introduce whatever measures in line with the national automotive policy.

Meanwhile, in a phone conversation with TheCable, Emmanuel Ogu, a member of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) said no circular has been issued regarding the reduction of import duty on cars.

We have not gotten any circular. I have not seen an official circular. So, if something is said without an official circular, then it is a rumour,

he said.

Don’t Allow People You Chased Out Return to Power, Lawan Tells Kwarans

The President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, yesterday advised the people of Kwara State not to allow those they chased out of the state government house in 2019 find their way back to power.

The senate president was in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital to inaugurate some of the constituency projects sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe representing Kwara Central.

Lawan made this remark at a town hall meeting organised by Oloriegbe to render his account of stewardship and declare intention to represent the people of Kwara Central in the senate again.

The Senate President told the people of Kwara State in general to continue to keep faith with APC.

I would like to remind you here, those people that you chased out will never get tired of trying to come back. You have only one more of “Otoge” and they will never come back.

In 2023, just chase them far away from Kwara. They will never find their way to Kwara. Don’t take it for granted. They are smart people. You know that. Chase them far away, if you can, up to the Atlantic Ocean if you chose to chase them to the South. If you wish, chase them up to the Niger Republic. Chase them far away from here.

The people of Kwara have got what you deserve from 2019. You have a state Governor that is for you. You have your National Assembly members that are for you. You have your state Assembly members that are for you and council chairmen and councillors.

Don’t ever take that for granted. Less than three years, what our state Governor in Kwara has done, what our members of National Assembly, our Distinguished Senators, all the three of them, Oloriegbe from Kwara Central, Senator Sadiq Suleiman Umar of Kwara North, Senator Lola Ashiru of Kwara South, have given every time that they need to give for us in the Senate to achieve what we have been able to achieve in the Senate.

You don’t need to think twice. Vote for them more than you did in 2019. Make the gap more than convincing. Vote massively. Don’t assume, well we have win in 2019, this people, send them far away from Kwara so that we can maintain the trajectory of what you have been able to get today because, Nigerians, having gone through 16 years of deprivation, of mis-governance between 1999 and 2015, deserve the Progressives to continue to provide leadership in Nigeria,

Lawan said.

Speaking specifically on Oloriegbe, the Senate President said the people of Kwara Central could not have had it better considering the achievements of the Senator within less than three years of his being in the Senate.

What we watched, the 30 minutes documentary on the activities of Oloriegbe, showed something more than three-year activities of a senator.

For you to achieve what you did in less than three years, it beats my imagination, how a new Senator, in three years, can attract so many projects, sponsor so many bills and engage himself in so many activities within a short time.

Imagine if you had him as your senator in the Eighth Assembly, so if you are talking of seven years down the line, probably we will be here until the next day going through his achievements.

Earlier before the Town Hall Meeting, the senate president performed the Foundation Laying ceremony of the Drug and Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Centre for Federal Neuro-Psychiatry Hospital, Budo-Egba, Asa Local Government Area.

Lawan also inaugurated a Comprehensive Health Centre, Dr Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe Foundation Building at Idi-Isin, Ilorin South Local Government Area and commissioned as well the Ilorin Emirate Mobile Health Clinic.

The senate president commended Senator Oloriegbe for facilitating the idea of a rehabilitation centre.

He said the idea of the centre was

to show that the Federal government of Nigeria cares about our youths. That President Muhammadu Buhari cares about our youths and their tomorrow. That the senator you voted for, the man representing you today in the Senate, Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe cares.

That we all care for the Youths of this country and for the development of this country because the Youths in any nation are the leaders of tomorrow.

Today, it’s a fact that across the country, we are challenged as a people, as a nation by substance and drug abuse. Some of our youths that fall victims need to be rehabilitated.

But I want to take the opportunity here to appeal to all of us in the leadership positions at all levels of government, federal, state and local government to ensure that we are proactive, that we make it difficult for drugs and substances to be available for them to be abused.

That we protect our youths because by protecting them, we are protecting our tomorrow, we are protecting the development of our nation and therefore this particular project is one sure way of ensuring that those that are falling victims will have a centre to go to for rehabilitation.

But that is not what we want. That actually is not what we need. My prayer will be that after we construct this centre, there should be nobody inside it because nobody should be a victim. But we need to prepare for the worst at all times.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.